Operation Bed Post: Gabriel Emerson

I’ve decided to declassify a few files and introduce a bi-monthly feature at Lit, etc: Operation Bed Post! We’ve all come across that fictional character and walked away with our hearts forever imprinted with their name. This is a fun way to highlight the ones that have um earned a notch on my bedpost. 😉 Everyone knows I have way too many fictional boyfriends and I’ve decided to introduce them to you and yes share them too (grumbles).

To kick off Operation Bed Post, I am declassifying the first dossier and it’s none other than Professor Emerson!

Gabriel Emerson for me is an obvious choice because he’s distinctive. He’s a Medievalist (as one myself I can’t help it). He can see the beauty within. Sure he’s attracted to Julia, but he realizes that deep down she’s kind and giving. All he wants is to make sure she’s happy. For example Gabriel learns that Julia doesn’t celebrate her birthday and he throws her a birthday celebration for her complete with a private viewing of a museum exhibit. How lovely is that?

When I think of a young Gabriel and imagine the picture Julia has…I think of him as Richard Madden. Look at Madden’s smile!

Now trying to picture what Gabriel looks like in his early thirties is a more difficult. I think a few images of what he should look like are floating around and while I don’t agree David Gandy is the ideal Gabriel, I like to imagine Gabriel sitting there grading essays, making notes as is:

Those of us in academia are aware that a majority of our professors don’t dress well. I’ve only known one professor who dressed in a suit and tie on his lecture days and even during the large public Spring Lecture series that the Institute for Medieval Studies at my undergrad university would host it was one lone professor (the same who came to class in a suit in tie) who dressed up. It wasn’t until I did my master’s degree in Glasgow, Scotland that I actually saw professors dress up for class. So the fact that Gabriel Emerson dresses in a suit and tie and that suit is tailored has me spinning fantasies surrounding him and a tie. I can just picture him in a three piece suit looking like he just walked off the cover of GQ. Uh someone just kill me now.

Favorite Quote: “When I am an old man and I can remember nothing else, I will remember this moment. The first time my eyes beheld an angel in the flesh. “I will remember your body and your eyes, your beautiful face and breasts, your curves and this.” He traced his hand around her navel before dragging it lightly to the top of her lower curls. “I will remember your scent and your touch and how it felt to love you. But most of all, I will remember how it felt to gaze at true beauty, both inside and out. For you are fair, my beloved, in soul and in body, generous of spirit and generous of heart. And I will never see anything this side of heaven more beautiful than you.”